


Two-Faced

by Zetran



Category: Final Fantasy VII
Genre: M/M, Original Game
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-09-20
Updated: 2014-10-06
Packaged: 2017-12-27 04:39:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,523
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/974442
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zetran/pseuds/Zetran
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Cloud has waited and done what he could to prepare for the day he had to face Sephiroth again. Never would he have thought that the other man would have appeared like this.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Quick Note:

私の中の住人が 同じ男に恋をした  
みなみんな報われぬまま 男の答えは  
「君の中の一人だけを愛しましょう！」  
心臓が高鳴る 私たちの  
早まる鼓動を 押さえつけて

* * *

Force Stealer easily sliced through the last monster, and Cloud reattached the sword to the strong magnet on his back. Stretching, he turned around back towards the camp he and his party had set up.

Touch-Me frogs were still plaguing the forests near the river past Gongaga. Those horrid little things kept Cloud, Aeris, and Red XIII busy to no end, constantly slapping the trio and changing them into frogs before changing them back. It had taken forever to get rid of the monsters, and Cloud volunteered to fend off the stray frogs that tried to sneak into their tents. He and his friends had agreed beforehand that they would split into groups of three, then get back together at night time.

Quietly, he slipped into the tent he shared with Barret. Red XIII slept outside, Aeris and Yuffie took to sleeping in the buggy, and Tifa offered to take first watch with Cait Sith, insisting that she could stay up longer. Despite his tired body telling him not to do so, Cloud lay awake, listening to the noises of the night and waiting for the chance to trade with Tifa. He shifted to get a little more comfortable and rested his eyes for a few seconds.

Up ahead was another shallow part of the river which was traverse-able by buggy. Cloud had a feeling that there was another town past that natural barrier. Quickly, he made a mental list of what they would need. Hi Potions weren't much of a problem (White Wind and Restore materia were always used when necessary), but Ethers were a definite must. Last he checked, there were only two or three left. Weapons weren't very important. While their equipment wasn't as strong as what they had found later in their journey, double materia growth was very, very useful. Cloud supposed that he could buy more materia if he had the spare gil for it, but that depended on whether anything useful was available. He rolled over and continued to mull over his small plans. One could never be too careful, and he wanted to be prepared.

Prepared for when he and his friends ran into Sephiroth again.

It was not a question of if – this was definitely a when. Cloud was sure of it. After Junon, there were still reports of a man in a black cape passing by, and Cloud felt that they were getting closer and closer to their enemy, to the one that had done so much to Cloud and Tifa, to the one who had to have some ulterior motive hidden behind his back.

Letting out a deep breath, Cloud tossed and turned for what seemed like eternity before getting up and making his way to where Tifa sat, alert, on the hood of the buggy.

"I can handle this, Cloud," Tifa said quietly.

Cloud shook his head. "We've got a long day tomorrow."

Cait Sith bounded over on his giant Mog from his nearby spot. Cloud nearly pulled out his sword to slice the odd duo in half before he realized who they were.

"Sorry!" the cat said in a hushed voice. "I forget that I can see what you can't sometimes." Cloud shook his head again, not feeling that an apology from the formerly assumed fortune-telling toy was necessary. "You and the lady should rest. I can handle this myself."

"It's alright. You don't have to exert yourselves when I can do it," Cloud said.

"I can keep watch just fine," Tifa protested with mock anger.

"I know you can, Tifa, but—"

"But nothing! I'm staying."

A debate broke out, continuing on for who knows how long. Cloud presented all of his arguments, but Tifa would have none of it. Eventually, it was decided that all three should keep watch, because it didn't seem like anybody was going to leave anytime soon.

Tifa toughed it out and stayed up the whole night, even having to wake Cloud up when it was time to go. She gave him an amused smile, a rare thing for him to see from her lately, which Cloud saw blearily in his groggy state. He shook it off and rubbed his eyes, getting out of the sitting position he had fallen asleep in against the buggy. He rubbed his stiff neck, almost embarrassed.

Aeris giggled. "Ready to go, Cloud?" she teased.

"Come on!" Yuffie exclaimed. "We've been waiting all day!"

"...it's still the early morning, Miss," Red XIII said.

"Well, I'm not gonna be woken up at the crack of dawn for nothin'! Let's go already!"

"You better calm down before I make you," Barret threatened, annoyed. He grouped up with Tifa while Cait Sith paired up with Yuffie. Cloud set off towards the river with Aeris and Red XIII, watching the buggy amble along in front of them with Barret as the driver and Tifa in the passenger seat. It was their turn to take the vehicle and pick out the next camping spot. Yuffie was disgruntled at the fact that she wouldn't be allowed to drive, but Cloud couldn't bring himself to trust the supposed ninja with the car. He'd rather have something for them to be able to cross shallow rivers than nothing at all.

He, Red XIII, and Aeris made sure to avoid the forests and the frogs. They had learned their lesson the first time around.

Around the time the sun started to set, Cloud's PHS rang.

 _"Yo, Cloud! We've hit the river!"_ Barret's voice crackled from the device. Cloud voiced an affirmative before hanging up and notifying his party. The trio sped up further to their destination, eventually reuniting with Barret and Tifa. All five waited until Yuffie and Cait Sith arrived before piling into the buggy, Cait Sith having to make do with holding onto the trunk of the car due to his Mog making him unable to fit inside. The speed was slow enough for him to be able to hang on easily, but the combined weight of Cloud and his friends and Cait Sith made the actual crossing of the river slightly difficult, almost resulting in the buggy getting stuck in the mud.

Too soon, it seemed, the sun began to set, ending another day. Cloud and his friends managed to enter what looked like another desert. As Cloud helped set up camp, he noticed that Red XIII seemed anxious. Shrugging, he supposed that that would have to wait until tomorrow, at least. As he took first watch, he found himself preparing for what might come.

He couldn't help it. Something stirred in his gut, telling him that they were going to run into Sephiroth soon.

* * *

Notes:

Idea conceived: 2013年5月2日（木）

Started: 2013年9月13日（金）

Finished: 2013年9月20日（金）

I'd originally thought of doing a fic with a gender-bending Sephiroth a very long time ago. However, this plot is very different from the one I had originally came up with last year or the year before when the idea had first come to me, and it's a billion times better than the old one, anyways. The above note contains a hint to what this fic will eventually lead to...

Before an Aeris/Aerith debate starts, I'd like to say that I call her Aeris as a preference. It just sounds better to me.

In FF7, I've always had Aeris and Red XIII in my party for a few parts of the game for the limit break Healing Wind and because Red is the strongest character at that point. So while I don't think the other characters are in character, I hope that they aren't horribly OOC.


	2. Chapter 2

The hot, dry landscape slowly rolled by as Cloud sat in the driver's seat of the buggy. The blond made himself as comfortable as he could in the seat, grateful for the small break from traveling on foot. His sword lay on the floor of the back seat, where Red XIII sat with half of his tail swaying up and down.

Aeris sat next to Cloud, looking out at the window. She seemed a little interested in the environment, apparently still eager to explore the world outside Midgar after so long.

The buggy bounced over the rocks a few times, rattling Cloud's brains a bit. The blond winced and slowed down, speeding up again once the road became smoother. Cliffs came into sight, and, after taking a quick look at the back seat with the mirror, Cloud could see Red XIII getting even more antsy.

"Something the matter?" the SOLDIER asked.

The blond didn't have the opportunity to wait for an answer as the buggy suddenly stopped.

Cursing, Cloud exited the vehicle. He inspected it, trying to find something wrong but not finding much.

"A breakdown now, of all times," the blond grumbled. He sighed, hearing Aeris and Red XIII get out.

"What's wrong?" Aeris asked.

"I'm not sure," Cloud admitted. He crossed his arms, scanning the landscape. Up on the cliffs, he spotted something.

It was a collection of buildings, Cloud realized. The blond sent a message to Barret and Yuffie, notifying them of what happened and of the discovery.

"Only way to go is up there," the SOLDIER said, brandishing his sword and walking off.

"What about the others?" Aeris asked, following him with staff in hand.

"They should be able to catch up with us pretty soon. They can't be too far away."

The sun beat down on the trio as they moved onwards, the uncomfortably warm climate soon turning into scorching hot weather. The Sahagins that populated the local area harrassed them, making the short journey longer and more difficult. No matter how many times Cloud slashed one, no matter how many times Aeris shoved one away, no matter how many times Red XIII managed to destroy one, more and more seemed to come. Even when Tifa, Barret, and the rest of the team reunited with them as Cloud had predicted, all of AVALANCHE took to fleeing from the monsters to save time and energy.

When they finally arrived at the top, Red XIII suddenly jumped forward, running up to the man at the gates.

"I am home! It is I, Nanaki!" Red said loudly.

"Nanaki, you're safe!" the man said, relief evident on his face. "Come on, you should go say hello to Bugenhagen."

Red XIII ran past the man, soon disappearing out of sight.

"Nanaki?" Cloud asked, puzzled.

The man turned around to acknowledge them. "Welcome to Cosmo Canyon. Are you familiar with this land?"

Cloud shook his head.

The man gave Cloud a brief explanation of the place, which caused Barret to shout excitedly.

"I've always wanted to come here!"

The man didn't react. He said, "Ahh, but the Canyon is at full capacity at the moment, so I'm afraid I can't let you enter."

Cloud sighed and was about to think of something to say when Red XIII suddenly returned.

"They helped me when I was on the road back to here. Please let them in," he said.

Turning to Cloud, the man said, "You helped our Nanaki? Then please, enter." He moved to the side.

"Who's Nanaki?" Cloud asked, passing through the gates with the rest of the party.

"Nanaki is Nanaki. That's his name."

Although he was still a little confused, Cloud didn't question it. He set off to look for a shop first to resupply and then began to search for Red.

The events over the next few days were a jumbled mess to the SOLDIER. Thankfully, Cloud had quickly stumbled upon somebody who was able to fix the buggy. The buggy was the least of his problems, however.

The blond didn't fully understand Red XIII and his old family troubles or what the Gi Tribe really was, but even so, that didn't stop him and the rest of AVALANCHE from trying to help. The SOLDIER was reminded yet again of why Sephiroth and Shinra should be stopped as soon as possible. Bugenhagen's lesson on Planet life shed new light on the amount of damage both forces were capable of.

Sitting near the bonfire with the rest of his friends, Cloud stared into the flames, basking in the moment.

"They said they finished fixin' the buggy," Barret said.

The blond stood up. "Shall we go, then?"

The rest of the team nodded and got to their feet as well.

"So this is goodbye to Red..." Aeris said quietly.

"If he's going to stay here, he's going to stay," Cloud said. "No use in forcing him. He was a great help while we still had him."

Splitting into groups of three, AVALANCHE headed out the Canyon gates, stopping when they heard a voice.

"Wait! I'm coming, too!"

Cloud turned to find Red running after them. "Hm?"

Bugenhagen followed his grandson, levitating on his orb right next to him. "Cloud, please look after Nanaki."

"What made you change your mind?" Cloud asked.

"I think I grew up a little," Red – no, he was Nanaki now – confessed.

"Hohohooo, come back when you need more knowledge of Planet life," Bugenhagen said. "Farewell."

"Goodbye, grandpa," Nanaki said.

Cloud nodded in thanks and said, "Goodbye." He teamed up with Nanaki and Aeris as he had before. This time, however, it was Barret's turn to drive the buggy. Avoiding the Sahagins and other creatures on foot, Cloud and company were on the trail once again.

It seemed like ages had passed once they hit another shallow river. Like last time, everybody climbed onto the buggy to cross it and split up again.

It was not much farther until the team reached the next stop. The trek was short enough for them to skip setting up camp. But that was the least surprising thing that met them.

Cloud recognized the roofs of what he knew was a village. He swore he could recognize them as soon as he was able to get a good look at them. But it couldn't be. He refused to believe it. As they got closer and closer, however, the situation became more surreal yet impossible to deny.

For the first time in five years, Cloud was in Nibelheim once again.

* * *

Notes:

Started: 2014年9月17日（水）

Finished: 2014年10月6日（月）

Whooooo, over a year for an update, ahahahaha. I didn't mean for it to happen, but that's how it went. I can't say for sure that I'll pick this up again, especially when I really should work on the main fics and those are going pretty slow... I blame myself for taking a while on this one due to not playing FF7 like I should've. I'd better remember that it's part 21 I have to look at next time... (Ignore that, that's just for future reference for me).

I'm going to lower the rating on this to T. After thinking about it a bit, I can say that there really isn't much of a way for me to have gore or sexual stuff here. I was at a loss for how to do it before and now I'm just not going to bother. :P

Next chapter: Nibelheim. Duh.


End file.
